Daily Archives: July 7, 2011

Can’t make it to San Diego Comic Con this year? Why not pre-order these great action figures, bears and statues from ActionFigureExpress? From Thundercats to minimates to Stormtroopers, there are plenty of great buys to choose from.

Thundercats Mumm-Ra The Ever Living Deluxe PVC Staction Figure

Limited Edition of 1750

“Ancient spirits of evil, transform this decayed form to … Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living!” Icon Heroes presents Mumm-Ra in this massive deluxe staction figure standing approximately 9″ H x 11″ W x 2.5″ D including cape and base, packaged in a special gatefold window box including a special display insert featuring Mumm-Ra’s Tomb Fortress! As an added bonus, available ONLY as an exclusive gift with purchase at SDCC: Mumm-Ra’s loyal pet, Ma-Mutt!

Star Wars Stormtrooper Commander ArtFx+ Collectible Figures Two-Pack

Limited Edition of 500

Often found leading Empirical squads to the front lines or coordinating the suppression of outer rim uprisings, Stormtrooper Commanders are distinguishable from their subordinates by the deep blue markings imprinted on their white armor. Aside from the obvious benefit of being encased in a plastoid-composite suit these officers are also issued personal energy shields, capable of deflecting blaster fire and other battlefield hazards. Selected for their tactical prowess, Stormtrooper Commanders proved to be a formidable adversary and constant thorn in Galen Marek’s journey during The Force Unleashed Expanded Universe storyline. Included in every Stormtrooper Commander set are two complete statues, each authentically replicated with exacting attention to detail. Both troopers also come with additional interchangeable parts and weapons giving you the flexibility to select from a multitude of uniquely different posing combinations (more than 18 recommended poses). As an added feature and like other ArtFx+ releases, magnets are embedded in the feet to allow for effortless display on the supplied bases.

Marvel Minimates Thor Stormbreaker 4-Pack

Limited Edition of 3000

This highly anticipated boxed set includes the debut of fan favorite Beta Ray Bill, along with Thor, Loki, and Sif! This set commemorates the historical Thor #337 issue from Walt Simonson, in which alien Beta Ray Bill crossed paths with the God of Thunder, hefted the enchanted hammer Mjolnir and was granted the power of Thor himself.

Marvel vs. Capcom Minimates Box Set

Limited Edition of 3000

From the arenas of “Marvel vs. Capcom 3″ come four of the game’s greatest heroes, as an exclusive four-pack of Minimates! Clad in their “Player 2″ colors, Dante, Phoenix, Arthur and Deadpool each stand 2.5 inches tall with 14 points of articulation.

Emma Frost “Diamond” Bishoujo Statue

Limited Edition of 1500

Grab this exclusive Kotobukiya Bishoujo statue of Emma Frost as The White Queen! Standing eight-inches tall atop an environmental display base, the X-men mutant is highlighted by a bishoujo-styled face along with Frost’s flowing hair and cape. Be sure to add The White Queen to your Marvel X Bishoujo Collection of iconic superheroines and villains!

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Whether he is veteran warrior from ancient Egypt or a space policeman from the planet Thanagar, Hawkman is a somewhat obscure DC Comics hero who nonetheless has a strong following (including yours truly). Premiering in the famous Flash Comics #1 from 1940, Hawkman was created by Gardner Fox Dennis Neville whose unusual depiction of wings remains stupefying to this day. The reincarnation of Prince Khufu, Egyptologist Carter Hall became the embodiment of an ancient warrior spirit after receiving a mystic glass dagger. Donning the symbols of Horus and the strange Nth Metal, Carter took the skies armed with a variety of ancient weapons to fight crime alongside his fellow reincarnated beloved, Shiera Sanders.

When Flash was revived in 1959 by John Broome, Fox followed suit with young cartoonist Joe Kubert in reinventing Hawkman as a policeman from the planet Thanagar using weapons from the past to fight the foes of today. More recently, Hawkman’s varied back-stories have been combined by Geoff Johns into a kind of Highlander/Eternal Champion type (it’s unclear what the character’s new back-story will be come September when the DC Comics line is rebooted).

Hawkman has appeared on screen in animated form in the Filmation series, Super Friends, Justice League and more, but he has been realized in live action as well… with bizarre results. Even though the images and vide0 below are separated by decades of production values, they all look hauntingly similar… and share the same goofy problems.

Hawkman from the 1979 Legends of the Super Heroes tv special

Hawkman from Smallville (2010)

Hawkman in Baby Ruth ad- 1997

Given that DC Entertainment are exploring the adaptation of their characters in big budget films, would Hawkman make a good candidate? If so, how would the hero be made to look impressive and what would the story be?

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Adam West, the bigger than life actor who once donned the all-too-form-fitting tights of Batman in 1966 is rumored to appear in next year’s third and final Chris Nolan film centered on the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight Rises.

Christopher Nolan is delving back into superhero history by hiring former Batman Adam West to make a cameo appearance in new movie The Dark Knight Rises, according to a new report.

West played The Caped Crusader in longrunning 1960s TV show Batman before Michael Keaton brought the character to the big screen in the 1989 movie of the same name.

The superhero was also played by Val Kilmer and George Clooney prior to Nolan’s reboot of the franchise with Christian Bale in the lead role. Bale will become Batman for a third time in The Dark Knight Rises, which is currently filming in Britain, and West has reportedly been spotted on the set in Nottingham, England.
Rumours of a cameo appearance from the 82-year-old actor have been fuelled by a report published on Floss magazine’s Twitter feed, which reads, “Hollywood big wigs confirmed actor Adam West (Batman on the TV series) will make a cameo on The Dark Knight Rises set to open July 20, 2012″.

Movie bosses at Warner Bros. have yet to comment on the report.

A Catwoman short has been confirmed for inclusion in the forthcoming Batman: Year One animated feature DVD.

Fans planning on picking up a copy of the upcoming “Batman: Year One” DVD who also have a soft spot for Eliza Dushku are in for a treat.

TV Guide has the news that a short film featuring Dushku’s voice acting as Catwoman has been added as a DVD extra in the special features. Dushku already lent her voice talents to “Batman: Year One,” but the “Catwoman” short centers solely around her femme fatale character.

In the short, she faces off against crime boss Rough Cut, a new character created just for the story that is voiced by “Futurama’s” John DiMaggio. The 15-minute-long segment follows the two of them in a “breathless and brutal” chase across Gotham City while searching for a mysterious cargo shipment.

“Batman: Year One” director Lauren Montgomery also helmed the “Catwoman” short, which was directed by comic book and TV writer Paul Dini.

TV Guide caught up with Dushku to ask her about her relationship to the character of Catwoman. “I found the attitude for this character deep down in the Eliza Dushku archive of bad girls,” she said with a laugh. “They’re in there somehow, somewhere for some reason, and I tap into them when I need them. They’re characters with an edge.”

“Batman: Year One” goes on sale October 18 across all platforms. The film is based on the Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli comic book arc, and also features the voice talents of “Southland’s” Ben McKenzie as Batman, “Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston at Commissioner Gordon and “Battlestar Galactica’s” Katee Sackoff as Detective Sarah Essen.

A fantastic article was posted today chronicling the history of the Batmobile from its first appearance right up to the current day. Unfortunately, this project had already been tackled (and with far more success and detail) in this image reproduced here and below.

The upcoming multiplatform videogame Batman: Arkham City is hotly anticipated by gamers and comic book fans alike. Featuring free-roaming gameplay and stunning graphics, it is sure to impress. More recently, Batman’s sidekick Robin was revealed as additional downloadable content and sporting a unique newly designed costume.

MTV’s Multiplayer game site had more details regarding the Boy Wonder and his role in the game.

Robin will start out as a downloadable add-on for those that pre-order through Best Buy, but will eventually be available to everyone at some as-yet-unannounced date. There’s no denying that Robin is a beloved character among Batman fans – hell, a debate even broke out in our comment thread in regards to the infamous Jason Todd – so staying true to his image, while converting him over to the gritty world of “Arkham City,” presents a real challenge for the game’s artist.

Senior concept artist, Kan Muftic, took some time on the “Arkham City” forums today to explain his thought process on designing Robin. He even answers a question that’s been running through my brain as to why the team chose to shave Tim Drake’s head; I can’t say I was expecting a UFC-inspired explanation.

“We wanted to create a Robin that players would identify as a contemporary character and move away from the traditional ‘Boy Wonder’ image that most people know,” Muftic writes. “Our vision of Robin is the one of a troubled young individual that is calm and introverted at times, but very dangerous and aggressive if provoked. The shaved head is inspired by cage fighters, because we thought that Robin might be doing that in his spare time to keep him on his toes. Still, we kept all the classic trademarks of Robin’s appearance, such as the red and yellow colors of his outfit, the cape and the mask.”